Tag Archives: hiking on Oahu

A couple weeks ago I took my family hiking on the Kuli’ou’ou Ridge Trail. I had done it just a few days before that, and I loved it so much that I just had to bring them to it.

When I did the hike, we were in anticipation of hurricane Madeline coming through. Luckily it passed by us, but we still experienced quite a bit of wind and overcast skies. When I got to the top of trail, I couldn’t see the view.

The day that we planned to go as a family, we were blessed with gorgeous weather. The best reward? The view + our shenanigans at the top! This was such a great family activity. I love hiking with my tribe!

We didn’t realize we were making memories. We just knew we were having fun.

A couple months ago my husband and I decided to try something new. Every month, we would make sure to have at least 1 date, and we would take turns planning what we would do. So far it’s been really fun and I’ve enjoyed the creativity of our outings!

Our latest date was a 13 mile bike ride. We rode from our house clear down to the end of Waikiki and back. My husband planned this date, and he hit it out of the park! It was the perfect day!

If you like this idea that we are doing, here are 10 active date ideas that you can try with your significant other. Best of all, most of them are free!

Go on a bike ride

This date made me feel like a kid again! You can even race each other if you’re competitive 🙂

2. Go on a hike

There is nothing like unplugging from everything around you and just getting out in some fresh air. Studies have shown that hiking reduces stress you and you’ll have fun adventuring together.

3. Explore your city

Have you ever played tourist in your own city? Walk around and see if there are any shops, restaurants or cafés you’ve never been to before.

4. Pick your own apples

If you live near any U-pick orchards, this is a must-do activity! There is nothing like fresh fruit right off the tree! You’ll have healthy food for your week, or you can be naughty and make an apple crisp or pie.

5. Go on an evening walk

Finished with dinner and getting ready to Netflix and chill? Put the remote down and go on a stroll around the neighborhood first. You can talk about your day, and burn a few extra calories before you veg out the rest of the night.

6. Go sledding

This is another one of those activities that brings out the kid in you. And its really quite surprising how worked out you feel after a few hours of trekking up and down a snowy hill.

7. Do a corn maze

This one will get your minds and your adrenaline going. Plus if you’re a scardy cat like me, you’ll be forced to hold each other the entire time for fear of your life.

8. Go ice skating/ rollerskating

Remember couples skate at the rink when you were younger? It’s still as fun 🙂

9. Go find and cut your own Christmas tree

This is one that I’d like to do at some point, but I’d have to live on the mainland to do it, since there’s a shortage of snowy mountains here. I just think it would be romantic, fun, and full of holiday cheer.

10. Hit the gym

There’s just something about working out together. You push each other to be better and you feel better and look better afterward!

I hope that a few of these ideas spark your interest! Do you have any other fun active date ideas? Let me know in the comments below!

Just wanting to share some photos of the hike I did yesterday with my friends. We did the Hanauma Bay Ridge hike and it was my first time doing it. All and all it was pretty easy, but boy did my legs burn when going up the inclines!

I was the only one in the group brave enough to walk out on the rock bridge. The scary part is, as soon as I finished having my picture taken, a massive wave came crashing over the entire thing. I was soaked, but I survived! If you haven’t done this hike, I definitely recommend it. Just try not to die on the bridge 😉

Aloha Friday! This week has been crazy busy with my parents visiting me from the mainland. They will be heading back home this weekend, and I’ll be sad to see them go 🙁

Last week, I told you I had a fun filled week planned, which basically meant shenanigans were in order! I’ve had a major bucket list item that I’ve been dying to check off for almost 2 years, and this week I did it. My mom and I climbed the Haiku Stairs, also known as the Stairway to Heaven, with 2 of my friends.

3,922 steps. It was one of the most, if not the most, exhilarating things I’ve ever done. Absolutely breathtaking. It felt like I was in a dream! I hope you enjoy these photos from our adventure!

xo dré

PERSONAL NOTE: This is NOT a legal hike. If you are curious to read more about this hike, you can do so here.

Happy humpday! It’s kinda crazy to me that it’s already Wednesday, but time flies when you’re having fun!

On Monday, I climbed Koko Head with my mom as I shared with you yesterday. Now, although I walk a lot, my body is not conditioned to climb as we did. I figured I would be crazy sore the next day since my legs felt like jello by the end of our excursion. Surprisingly my mother and I woke yesterday feeling fantastic, so naturally we went on a new hike. (Not that we would have let sore muscles stop us. We are way too stubborn for that!)

Diamond Head was our next hike of choice. This hike is much easier than Koko Head. There were children we passed on the trail that were taking part, so that means pretty much anyone can do it! There are some stairs on this hike as well, but overall it’s a nice gradual incline. When we walked through the tunnel and went up the spiral staircase in the cement tube, I kind of felt like Nancy Drew out to solve a mystery! Lol!

This is a fun and safe hike, so make sure to do it if you’re in the area. Plus the view from the top is not so shabby! Tomorrow I hope to share something crazy we have up our sleeve, as long as weather (and authorities) permit us! Stay tuned!

On Saturday my family and I took a hike to Waimano Falls. Now, in my opinion, this hike is not for the weak of heart! It was hands down the hardest hike I’ve ever done (not that I’m an avid hiker), but it was a rush and so much fun!

To access the falls, you start off on Manana Trail. The trail actually starts off paved, so I was initially thinking that it was going to be a breeze. Wrong. It quickly turns into a slippery and muddy organic trail, where you are climbing up an down steep hills, scaling rocks, and dodging tree roots.

The payoff came when we reached the falls and I finally got the chance to swing on a rope swing (a life long dream of mine) into the water. In my head, I looked like a graceful Tarzan, swinging through the jungle, but as the pictures reveal, that was not the case! HA! Still, I had the time of my life, so that’s what counts, right?

On our way back down the trail, we loaded up with strawberry guavas, which lined most of the trail. I’d never seen them before this, but they are as delicious as they are cute! Our stash will probably last us a max of 2 days since we can’t keep our hands off of them!

If you’ve never done this hike and you’re looking for an adventure, I highly recommend this one!

Remember last week, I talked about my great excitement for a hiking adventure? I finally had one! Saturday my family hiked to Manoa Falls. It was absolutely amazing! Not only was the trail fun, but the scenery kept us in awe the entire way. Our Creator is pretty artistic!

Below, I did my best to capture some of the beauty so I could share it with you. Enjoy!

Since living on Oahu, I have not gone on any hikes. It’s tragic, I know. Even my girls got to go on a hike up Diamond Head, so it’s time I get with the program!

I’ve made myself a small list of some hikes I would like to accomplish before the year is over, and I want to share them with you. When I complete them, I’ll let you know.

This first photo is of Koko Head Crater. Unless I plan to go solo on this hike, I’m going to have to wait until November, when my mom comes to visit me, to go on this adventure. I know my girls would be whining at least half of the way and my husband doesn’t seem to keen on the idea of all these stairs. I can hardly wait!

The next three places on my list will be great for my whole family. We’re actually planning an adventure for next weekend. Stay tuned for where we end up!